Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-24-2025
Identifier
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1628853; PMCID: PMC12684102
Abstract
PURPOSE: To identify barriers and facilitators to lifestyle modifications and goal setting and characterize goal setting for adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
METHODS: Retrospective chart review of registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) nutrition notes from 118 adolescents with PCOS 11-21 years evaluated at a multi-specialty PCOS clinic. Goals, barriers, and facilitators were coded using open coding and a priori objectives and characterized for emerging themes using qualitative content analysis.
RESULTS: Five major themes of barriers and facilitators to behavior change emerged: interest and motivation, family involvement, resources and food environment, taste preferences, and self-efficacy. RDNs set ≥3 goals with 52%, 2 goals with 35%, 1 goal with 9%, and no goals with 3% of adolescents with PCOS. Goals covered three major themes: incorporation of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate model, modifying carbohydrate intake, and increasing physical activity.
CONCLUSION: The facilitators and barriers identified through our analysis are both similar and different to those reported in adolescents with obesity and women with PCOS, likely due to differences in condition specific contexts and life stage. The goals recorded by RDNs reflect a desire to increase diet quality; however, too many goals may have been set on average. Overall, adolescents with PCOS report intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental barriers and facilitators that may affect their ability to establish and act upon goals.
Journal Title
Front Nutr
Volume
12
First Page
1628853
Last Page
1628853
PubMed ID
41368182
Keywords
PCOS; RDN; adolescence; diet; goals; qualitative research; registered dietitian nutritionist
Recommended Citation
Gadiraju M, Kim JY, Green EM, et al. Barriers and facilitators to lifestyle behavior change and goal setting in adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome. Front Nutr. 2025;12:1628853. Published 2025 Nov 24. doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1628853
Comments
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Publisher's Link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1628853/full